Two San Diego-area nonprofit organizations, North County Lifeline and San Diego Youth Services, will receive awards totaling $1.2 million as part of $44 million in federal grant funding announced Thursday by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to combat human trafficking.
The funding will augment efforts to target perpetrators, provide more and better services for victims, and expand research initiatives, according to federal officials.
“Human traffickers prey on some of the most vulnerable members of our society, and their crimes, which are nothing short of modern-day slavery, have no place in this country,” Lynch said.
The funding awards will aid the two local organizations and others nationwide that are “taking a very aggressive role in attacking this crime,” according to U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy.
“As we fight to obliterate this human rights tragedy, we must remember the plight of victims and offer support,” Duffy said. “These grants are part of that effort.”
— City News Service